


Rebels

by DarkScales



Series: Heritage [2]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: AU, Altean Keith (Voltron), Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Galra Keith (Voltron), Gen, Identity Reveal, and meets someone from his past, he's unconscious for most of this, in which Keith discovers that his father isn't the only Galra rebel, okay I'll stop now before I spoil everything, poor shiro, sort-of sequel to One Who Fights, they're technically not related but she was considered family regardless, written pre-season 2
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-08
Updated: 2018-01-25
Packaged: 2018-08-29 19:30:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,546
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8502547
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkScales/pseuds/DarkScales
Summary: Keith and Shiro crash together after being tossed out of the wormhole.  Unfortunately, that means that Keith is now stuck on an unfamiliar planet with an unconscious team leader, two out of commission lions, and no way to contact the others.  Fortunately, he might have some unexpected help.  (Sequel to One Who Fights.)





	1. Discovery

**Author's Note:**

> So, this is the sort-of sequel (I say that because I don't know if I'll continue it) to One Who Fights. It's crossposted from my Tumblr, where I wrote it in response to an ask by lexxicona, who said, "So it seems in the trailer for season 2 that Keith and Shiro wind up on the same planet together, and I just wonder how it Keith would reveal to Shiro in that situation that he's probably half galran"
> 
> ...And then it got away from me and became a 2K thing all its own. Whoops.
> 
> Hope you enjoy! Please feel free to let me know if you have any comments or constructive criticism. Also, you can read the original Tumblr post [here](http://darkscaleswriter.tumblr.com/post/150284596458/so-it-seems-in-the-trailer-for-season-2-that-keith) if you would prefer that. ^.^

_This isn't good._

Keith stood atop his lion, one hand shading his eyes as he surveyed the area. Dust swirled in choking clouds, the land as harsh and desolate as the desert he'd lived in on Earth. Red had barely managed to fly out of the deep canyon they'd crashed in before collapsing, the bond between them fading to a low hum. Their comms were broken, Keith had no supplies beyond his armor and weapons, and there didn't seem to be any other signs of life within the area.

Wait. There, over that ridge. A hazy cloud of dust that hadn't yet settled, though the wind was slowly blowing it away. That wasn't right. Which meant that something had caused it.

Keith was loathe to leave Red alone, but it wasn't as if he had any other choice. Her protective barrier was up, true, but if Galra ships discovered her while he was gone...

Shaking away doubts, Keith gritted his teeth, checked his weapons, and started walking. The longer he waited around, arguing with himself, the more time he wasted when he could be searching for the others. He and Shiro and gotten thrown out of the wormhole at roughly the same time, so maybe–

_...Oh, no._

Black lay in a crater, eyes still and dark. There was no sign of Shiro.

Keith scrambled down the ridge, almost twisting his ankle on loose rocks and half-sliding most of the way. A quick circle around the fallen lion revealed no open hatches of any sort, which meant that he was reduced to poking around Black's mouth in an attempt to figure out how to get in. Shiro didn't respond no matter how much Keith called for him, which didn't help his increasing worry.

"Come _on,_ " Keith groaned, almost begging. "Black, please, I need to know if he's hurt!"

Wonder of wonders, Black's eyes flickered once, twice– and her mouth creaked open, just enough for Keith to crawl in. Keith didn't hesitate before quite literally sticking his head in the lion's jaws, pulling the rest of himself in as he all but ran to the cockpit.

When he got there, Shiro was slumped in the pilot's seat, still. Keith bolted over, heart in his throat. No, no, no, Shiro couldn't be–

He was breathing, Keith could tell, and Keith's legs almost buckled from sheer _relief._

But Shiro was still unconscious, which probably wasn't good. Shiro needed medical attention, they both did, but with the lions out of commission and their speeders trapped inside the lions, the only transport they had were their legs. Or, well, Keith's legs, since Shiro was still unconscious and didn't seem to be waking up anytime soon.

Keith allowed himself a snarl of frustration. It came out rough and rumbling and surprising even to himself, the sound quite clearly inhuman. _Quiznak._ His disguise must've been slipping; when he ran his tongue over his teeth, he almost pricked himself on his own fangs.

"This is a disaster," Keith muttered to himself.

The way he saw it, he had two options. One: he could stay with Shiro and the lions and hope that help came before it was too late. On the off chance that Shiro's comms were working, he could try to hail the Castle or the other lions. He didn't want to send out a distress beacon just in case this was a Galra-occupied planet, in which case a distress beacon would've been little more than a giant target on their backs.

Two: he could take Shiro and try and find civilization, find help. That wasn't particularly desirable, really, since he had no idea how far they were from people and there was a risk of running right into a Galra patrol or something. On the other hand, people meant supplies and medical care, which Keith and Shiro currently had none of.

Keith sat down on the floor, pulling off his helmet. He leaned back against a console and closed his eyes, just for a moment, as he tried to marshal scattered thoughts together. He had to pick an option, he knew that, but _which one?_

After about a minute, however, the decision was made for him.

The roar of an engine sounded from outside. Keith's eyes snapped open. He grabbed his helmet, on the alert, and scrambled to his feet. If he was lucky, it was help. If he wasn't...

He had his bayard at the ready, too. Just in case.

As Keith drew nearer to the lion's mouth, he began making out voices. The tones they spoke in were unexpected, as well: shock, a bit of horror, confusion. And... was that _hope?_

Who were these people?

Steps silent, Keith crouched just inside the lion's jaws. If they tried to come in and were hostile, he could easily take them out from his position. If not, well... he'd go for non-lethal hits.

Someone rapped metal like they were knocking on a door, and one of the voices called out, "Hello? Is anyone in there?"

Keith didn't reply, unsure if it was a trap. They didn't sound like Zarkon's soldiers, but he couldn't be certain.

Footsteps crunched over dirt. "What do the scanners say?" the first person asked another, a little farther away.

"Two people, one in the head and one right in front of you," the second person reported. "They can probably hear us, you know."

The first person came back. "Really?" They crouched to peer into Black's cracked-open jaws, and all Keith saw was a glimpse of yellow eyes and purple skin before he lashed out.

There was a startled yell and the face fell out of sight, prompting the rest of the strangers to rush over. Keith counted maybe five, if he was hearing things right, and swore under his breath. Maybe if he was fresh he could have defeated them, but they were probably heavily-armed and all he had was his bayard and his dagger.

"Are you okay?" Keith heard someone ask the first person. "Quiznak, you're lucky they missed your eye!"

The first person laughed, a throaty sound that had Keith tensing up. "I'm fine," they said, and there came the sounds of someone hauling themselves back up to their feet. "Well, at least one of them's awake and alive."

Someone with a lighter tread walked up, wondering, "Are they mute or something, though? I mean, they can probably hear us but they aren't saying anything."

A snort, and another person replied, "Or maybe they're just cautious. Like Sekai should have been." Addressing the first person, they scolded, "You stuck your face right up there! That was _stupid;_ what if they'd had better aim? Or worse, stabbed instead of slashed. You could be dead!"

Keith frowned. The way the strangers interacted with each other definitely didn't sound like they were soldiers. But that first one had been Galra. Unless–

_Maybe my father wasn't the only Galra rebel._

Which was a bizarre thought, but once he thought about it, rather plausible. Surely not _all_ Galra could be bad.

...Except that meant he'd just attacked a potential ally. Oops.

From outside came the sounds of people moving around. Another person came up to Black's jaws, this time not crouching down. "Whoever's in there," they began, "we're sorry for spooking you. Sekai's kind of an idiot sometimes," an indignant protest from the first person drifted over at that, "but he means well. Don't worry, we're not with Zarkon. We're with the rebellion, and we're here to help."

Keith still didn't reply, but he was seriously considering it.

The person let out an audible sigh. "Look, you can't stay in there forever. These lions are huge and pretty visible, so they need to get hidden _fast._ Without our help, I don't think you can manage that. Not on your own." A pause, then, "Please?"

Well, at this point, Keith didn't have much left to lose. "Fine. I'm coming out."

"Thank the gods," he heard the person sigh, and saw their legs take hurried steps back. Keith crawled out of Black's mouth, bayard still drawn, and–

"Oh, wow," someone said. "He's _short._ "

Keith looked around the group. They were made up of a mishmash combination of races, the Galra he'd slashed leaning back against their ship with a cloth pressed to his face, lifting it for an alien who looked a bit like Rolo to dab some sort of gel on the edges of the wound. The one who had called Keith _short_ was a vaguely amphibious-looking person with wide eyes and oddly shiny skin. Beside them stood a Balmeran, rock-like and broad-shouldered.

The person who'd spoken to him, though... Keith felt his jaw go slack.

She was _Altean._ What was more, he _recognized_ her.

Orange-brown hair, eyes yellow and dark amber over sandy markings. Keith's eyes widened as memories flashed by: warmth and laughter, a toy fighter ship, the inside of a cockpit with all the controls too high for him to reach. Shoulder rides and playful roughhousing, Keith's mother exasperated yet fond in the background. The woman was–

 _Auntie,_ Keith thought. _Oh. Wow._

"Red Paladin," she greeted. "I am Vasiva, a fighter pilot for the rebellion. This is my squad. Sekai," she gestured to the Galra, "Brei," the one healing the Galra, "Yela," the Balmeran, "and Wanal," the amphibious one.

She didn't recognize him, clearly, and why would she? It had been over ten years, and he still wore his helmet. His human disguise was half-gone, though, and it didn't take much to let it fade completely.

_There's no going back now._

Keith let his bayard dissolve. "I'm Keith," he replied. Adding, as he took off his helmet, "But... I used to be known as Keithek _._ "

For the first time in over a decade, he let another see his true form. "Hi," he said a bit sheepishly as he took in their gobsmacked expressions.

_It's been a long time._

* * *

By the time Shiro woke up, they were safely in the rebellion's underground base on this particular planet, the lions hidden from the Empire and the paladins given a chance to recover. Keith had spent hours answering questions about where he'd been for all these years, how he'd ended up with Red, and so on. He'd only just managed to drag himself away, and now he was half-asleep next to Shiro's bed in the rebels' medical ward.

Keith was tired enough, in fact, that he didn't even realize that Shiro was awake until he heard a groggy, "Where am I...?"

"Shiro!" Keith startled back to awareness so fast he almost got whiplash. "You're awake!"

"Keith?" Shiro turned to look at him, and then– "Keith! What happened to you?!"

"Huh?" Keith blinked at him. Keith was pretty sure he wasn't bleeding or anything, so what was it?

Shiro looked as if he was on the verge of a heart attack. "Your eyes! And your hair! And your face!"

"...Oh. That." Keith could have kicked himself. _Stupid!_ He wasn't disguised as a human anymore, and none of the others had known. Stupid, stupid, _stupid._

 _Quiznak. Please don't hate me,_ he thought, scooting back as cold fear dropped over him like a lead weight. _Please,_ please _don't hate me. I don't think I could take it if you did._

"Um," Keith said around the lump in his throat, "I'm kind of... not human?"

Shiro blinked at him. "I'm not dreaming, am I?"

Keith shook his head.

"...Okay. You look kind of Galra. Sorry. It's a little weird," Shiro said, but before Keith could shrink in on himself Shiro hastily continued, "but you look kinda Altean, too, so. Um. It's fine. You've really been an alien this whole time?"

Keith nodded. "Half Galra, half Altean," he replied. "And– I'm really sorry for not telling anyone. I didn't–" he stopped swallowed, and forced himself to keep going. "You're not scared? Angry?"

Shiro grimaced. "It's definitely going to take getting used to," he admitted, "but you're still Keith, right?" He shook his head and glanced at the IV that someone had put in his arm. "Sorry. My thoughts are kind of all over the place right now. Maybe it's the alien drugs." His eyes cut back to Keith. "Wait. Half Altean?"

"Zarkon didn't manage to get all of them," Keith replied. "They're scattered. Hiding. A lot joined the rebellion, like my mother. She was a fighter pilot, too."

Shiro laughed. "I guess it runs in the family."

Keith grinned. "I guess so," he laughed, and warmth curled sun-bright in his chest.

_That could have gone a lot worse._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...Honestly, the only reason Shiro took it so well was probably the alien drugs. He's really out of it so he's not even sure this is real, but he'll probably freak out later once he's in his right mind. :P
> 
> Feel free to come find me on [Tumblr](http://darkscaleswriter.tumblr.com/) for fandom stuff and [Wordpress](https://darkscales.wordpress.com/) for original fiction!


	2. Explanations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, apparently I am continuing this? Updates will be whenever I have time, which, unfortunately, will be rare, but I guess it's better than nothing ^.^'
> 
> Thank you to everyone who read and left comments or kudos! You're all amazing! :D

The Rebels remembered the guardian deities of Altea.

Bits and pieces of Altean culture survived through the years, passed by word of mouth and tradition taught from one generation to the next. Too much had been lost with the destruction of their planet, and the survivors clung on to what was left with an iron grip. Stories were told, prayers were invoked, and Guardians were asked for their blessings.

When Keith returned, more than one thanked Geodaryn for leading his road back to his birthplace. His aunt laughed and said that he must have been blessed by Blazyrae, as he piloted the Red Lion, and it was her fire that had lent him strength in the battles he had fought.

 _Fire,_ Keith thought, remembering lava and heat that had melted ships into slag. Well. Perhaps his aunt had a point with that one. He found himself rather pleased by the thought. He had always liked the tales of Blazyrae when he'd been young.

In the back of his mind, Red made a sound best described as a rumbling, mechanical purr. She lay in the hangar of the rebel base, which had been hastily cleared out to accommodate her and Black. Keith had been loathe to leave them alone, but he'd been assured that the best engineers they could get their appendages on would be working to repair the lions as quickly as possible.

Once Keith had been virtually prised away from the lions, however, the next few hours were a whirlwind of meetings and organized chaos that Keith could barely register. There were tests to prove that he really was himself, there were endless questions upon questions upon questions, and the only reason they hadn't continued was because he'd almost faceplanted going down a flight of stairs from sheer exhaustion. If someone hadn't caught him, he probably would have broken his own neck.

Of all the ways to go. _Stairs._

Keith insisted on staying with Shiro in the medical wing instead of getting an empty bunk in the barracks. He was there when Shiro woke up, felt the weight lift off his chest when Shiro didn't reject him, and after Shiro lapsed back into unconsciousness, Keith finally let himself rest. It hadn't been all that long before that he and the rest of the team were storming Zarkon's central command to rescue Allura, before it all went horribly wrong. And then he'd woken up on the planet's surface, staggered his way to Black, and after that they'd been found by the Rebels. All in the space of… what, a day? Two days? Keith wasn't entirely sure.

The point was, he was _drained,_ tired right down to the bone. Sleep was a welcome relief, a chance to let his mind settle. Dreams were fragmented shards of color, impressions, hazy thoughts that faded away by the time he awoke hours later.

His aunt was there when he cracked his eyes open, holding a tray loaded with food. Keith started salivating the moment he scented it, snapping fully awake. The idea of eating food that wasn't nutrient goo sounded _heavenly._

"Hey," his aunt greeted as she handed him the tray, "I thought you might be hungry. Do you still like dekkrani steak?"

"Yes, please. Great Guardians, _thank you,_ " Keith mumbled around a mouthful, already digging in. "I haven't had any decent food in _forever._ "

Aunt Vasiva laughed and joked, "What, being a Paladin of Voltron doesn't entitle you to feasts at every meal?"

Keith snorted. "Auntie, everything in the Castle was either rations or food goo, and all of it had been preserved for ten _thousand_ years. The only time we got anything fresh was if we could detour for supply runs, and even that was the cheap stuff. Couldn't afford anything else with money that was millenia out of date."

(Though, to be fair, cheap didn't necessarily mean bad if it was cooked right. It just took some trial and error to figure out what human taste buds found appetizing compared to Altean ones. A _lot_ of trial and error.

Keith supposed he was lucky. He was capable of eating just about anything, including traditional Altean food that humans wouldn't touch, but the rest of the team hadn't had that luxury.)

His aunt laughed. "Ah. I see." She watched him shovel food in for a minute, lips quirked in a soft smile. "I guess this is a nice change?"

Before he knew it, Keith was scraping the bottom of the tray. " _Definitely._ "

A silent beat. "It's good to have you back," Aunt Vasiva said, soft and layered with old ache and happiness. "You've grown _so much._ "

Keith shrugged. "Well, it's been…" he paused, shocked at his own mental count. "Over ten years. Wow."

"Yeah." His aunt gave him a crooked smile. "Things have definitely changed around here lately. Especially once Voltron returned." She glanced at Shiro, who was still unconscious. "I still can't believe you're a _Paladin._ The Guardians are looking out for you, kid."

"That's for sure." Keith picked up his helmet, which had been sitting beside the rest of his armor next to his cot. Someone had cleaned it while he'd been asleep, as it gleamed in the pale lighting. "Sometimes I can't quite believe it myself. It all happened so– so _fast._ "

Aunt Vasiva sighed. "I did hear about that. One moment, stuck on this 'Earth' on the backwater fringes of space. The next, fighting off Empire ships above the long-lost Castle of Lions. Sounds crazy."

Keith hummed in agreement. Red pulsed warmth in the back of his mind, comforting like a hearth flame on a chilled night. She was still injured, still weary, but she was recovering. He caught a flash of machinery and movement, tiny figures scurrying about, and inwardly grinned at the awe that just about radiated from them. He was sure that if Red could have, she would've been preening at all the attention.

"By the way," Aunt Vasiva leaned back in her seat, "your father… does he know?"

Keith almost dropped his helmet. "What?"

She raised a brow at him. "Does he know you're alive?"

" _He's_ alive?"

Her brow inched higher. "Yes, he is. Did you not know that?"

Mouth dry, Keith looked down at the floor. "I– no. I didn't." _Alive,_ Keith thought, almost dizzy. _My father is alive._

It wasn't as if he'd simply assumed that the man was dead, but it had been over ten years. Rebels didn't often have long life expectancies, and Keith hadn't exactly had any way of confirming his father's status. And, honestly, he had been too afraid to try. If he searched and found his father gone…

Well. He hadn't wanted to take the chance.

Aunt Vasiva grinned. "You know," she said, "he's actually been on a deep cover mission for many years, now. Infiltrating the Empire's high command. He blew his cover to rescue you, but his extraction team should actually be heading back to the nearest base by now." She reached for a communicator. "If you want, I could reroute them here."

Keith blinked. "Wait– _rescue_ me? What?"

"...Right." His aunt blew out a breath. "You wouldn't have known. Really, though, did you think that barrier around the command center just disappeared all by itself?"

Keith opened his mouth. Closed it again. "In my defense, I didn't exactly have a lot of time to think about it. It's been, like, two days."

She shrugged. "Well, now you know." She held up the comm. "Do you want to see him?"

" _Yes,_ " Keith blurted. "I mean– yes. Please."

With a quiet laugh, Aunt Vasiva tapped at the communicator's screen. "I thought you might." Within a few moments, she looked back up at Keith and smiled. "I've sent their pilot a message. Let's hope she gets it."

* * *

Shiro popped a bit of steak his mouth and chewed, looking thoughtful. "What did you say this was called again?"

"Dekkrani steak." Keith flipped through articles on a tablet that somebody had loaned him, familiarizing himself with recent news. The official stuff was all propaganda, of course, but this was the secured rebels' network. The Castle hadn't been connected to it, since Allura and Coran weren't aware of its existence, so it was a good change from getting nothing but the Empire's official broadcasts.

Shiro took another bite. "Kind of tastes like chicken."

Keith snorted. "Believe me, dekkrani are _nothing_ like chicken." He skimmed a few paragraphs that spoke of Voltron's return and allowed himself a small smile. "Dekkrani are way nicer."

"Huh." Shiro worked his way through the rest of the meal, barely restrained enough that he didn't make himself choke. "This is pretty good."

"Beats food goo, doesn't it?" Keith poured a cup of water and handed it to Shiro. "Even if it is basically hospital food."

Shiro made a noise of agreement, sipping at the water. He lay propped up in the bed, IV removed but still confined. White bandages wrapped around his head, and the shirt they'd given him was slightly baggy– Keith suspected that it had been meant for a larger than human species. Still, he was definitely looking better than before.

"So," Shiro said conversationally, his tone ringing alarm bells in Keith's mind, "your father."

Keith put the tablet down. "Yeah?"

"He's… Galra, right?"

Keith gave a slow nod, something ugly forming in his gut. They hadn't talked about Keith's true identity, not really, and… what if Shiro's easy acceptance from before had just been the drugs? Shiro had been _tortured_ by the Empire; that wasn't something that just went away. And– Keith's father had been a mole in the Empire's high command. Abruptly, Keith realized that there was even a chance that Shiro and Thace could have interacted.

 _...Quiznak,_ Keith thought. This had the potential to go very badly, very fast.

Shiro picked up on his nervousness. "Hey, no, relax. It– it's fine. I'm fine. I was just…" he trailed off, looking as if he didn't quite know what to say. "I was just, um, curious? I guess?"

Keith was not reassured. "Curious about what?"

"Well." Shiro glanced away. "How did a Galra end up in a rebellion against the _Galra Empire?_ "

Keith blinked. "...You know," he said, "I'm actually not sure." He frowned, trying to remember if it had ever come up. "My parents never said."

"Huh." Shiro's flesh hand tapped fingers against the blanket. "And you're half Altean, too. Then, there were survivors when Altea was destroyed?"

"Yeah, not everyone was on-planet at the time." Keith settled back, slightly more comfortable. He knew how to answer this one, drawing on history learned from his mother years before. "We were diplomats, before everything. There were Alteans on almost every civilized planet in the known universe, scattered ambassadors or immigrants or anything else. When Zarkon destroyed Altea, many of us… fled. Went into hiding. My mother and I are descended from those among the group that helped to found this rebellion, a little less than ten thousand years ago." Keith smirked. "Allura said that Alteans were peaceful, and she wasn't all wrong. Our family was sort of the exception to the rule."

"Yeah, I figured that." Shiro flashed Keith a quicksilver grin. "Allura's going to be happy when she finds out."

"Coran, too," Keith added, already imagining their reactions. "He's going to hit the roof."

Shiro huffed a laugh. "Hope I'm there to see it." He paused, something inscrutable flickering across his face. "Let's not change the subject, though. Keith– all this time, you were never human? You _knew_ about– about everything?" He looked oddly hurt, which only brought back Keith's guilt full-force. "Keith, why didn't you say something?"

Gaze dropping, Keith turned the deactivated tablet over in his hands. He was wearing his human appearance, thinking that it would've been more comfortable for Shiro, but perhaps it had been the wrong call.

"It's complicated," Keith replied at last, setting the tablet on the table beside him. "I– well. You know how my mom died, right?"

Shiro's expression softened. "Car accident. Yeah, you told me."

Keith nodded. "I didn't exactly get out of it unscathed." He tapped the side of his head, remembering the daze of confusion and fear and useless grasping for memories that he _knew_ were missing but couldn't get back. "I don't really understand all of it, but basically I had some form of amnesia. I knew I wasn't human, but I didn't really know _what_ I was. The Galra, the Alteans, the Rebellion… I didn't remember any of it." Keith paused, licking dry lips.

Shiro winced. "Really? Shit, Keith, I'm sorry for assuming. You've obviously got your memory back now, though, so when did that happen?"

"It's fine." Keith waved him off. "I didn't really start remembering until we found Blue. And then–" he thought of Allura and Coran, of the gleaming Castle on the cliff, "–once it all came back, what was I supposed to do? 'Oh yeah guys, by the way, I'm half Galra. Surprise!'" Keith snorted. "Yeah, like _that_ would've gone over well."

A sigh. "Fair enough." Shiro rubbed at his metal arm. "Still, I wish– well, there's no point in it now." He tilted his head to the side, eyes narrowing. "Were you ever going to tell us?"

Keith thought about it for a moment. "I honestly don't know." He looked down. "Maybe. I mean, once I remembered the Rebellion, I thought about trying to get in touch with them, but I didn't know how. And I didn't want to say anything in case Allura and Coran got their hopes up, since I didn't even know if the Rebellion was still around."

Silence. Shiro looked thoughtful, but troubled.

Keith almost choked on his next words, but forced them out anyway, because he _had_ to know– "Do you hate me?"

"What?" Shiro's gaze snapped up from where he'd been contemplating the far wall. "No, of course not! What makes you think that?"

"I–" Keith felt his transformation slip, the world shifting colors as human eyes bled to Galra, and tugged it back before it could fail entirely. "I lied for _so long,_ Shiro, and half my blood is from the species that captured you and it's my fault that you're hurt; if I hadn't challenged Zarkon like an _idiot_ then maybe we wouldn't have gotten separated and–"

"No!" Shiro reached for him, looking pained. "No, Keith, don't say that. I don't hate you; I've known you for years and just because you're not human doesn't mean you're not the same person. As for Zarkon, well, at least we know what he's capable of now." He sounded shocked that Keith would even ask such a thing. "Look, you can't know what would've happened. What's done is done." His arm dropped back down. "I could _never_ hate you, Keith. You're my friend."

Shiro was starting to babble. He always did that when he was nervous; it was a habit that he'd never quite managed to break. But… Keith had known him long enough to pick up his tells, too. And, from what Keith could discern, Shiro– for some reason – _wasn't lying._

Taking a risk, Keith released the wavering hold he'd kept on his shapeshifting. "Even when I look like this?"

Shiro blinked wide eyes. After a few moments, he managed, "No. Not even when you look like that." A beat. "Huh. Guess I'm going to have to get used to it."

"Seriously?" It was Keith's turn to blink at him, now. "You don't mind?"

"Well, it is a bit weird," Shiro admitted, "but no, I don't. I mean, this is what you really look like, right? It isn't exactly fair to ask you to look like what you're not just because I'm mildly uncomfortable. Besides, I need to stop thinking of all Galra as bad regardless, so." He shrugged. "Like I said, I'll get used to it."

"Oh." Keith felt himself grin before he consciously thought about it, the twist in his gut smoothing out for real. "I– okay."

Shiro didn't hate him, and it hadn't just been the drugs talking. Thank the _Guardians._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some meta on the Guardians of Altea, which are my own headcanons, can be found [here](http://darkscaleswriter.tumblr.com/post/147722458762/voltron-legendary-defender-heacanon-guardians-of) on my Tumblr where I'm darkscaleswriter. Thanks for reading, and enjoy! Happy New Year's Eve!
> 
> Feel free to come find me on [Wordpress](https://darkscales.wordpress.com/) for original fiction!


	3. Reintroduction

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who left kudos and comments! I haven't finished Season 2 yet, but from what I've seen so far, this fic is definitely AU. Fear not, no spoilers! 
> 
> Also, Thace shows up in this chapter. I'm honestly not sure how the reunion scene is, but the next chapter is partway written and mostly conversation plus working things out between Keith and Thace, so that's the real development chapter while this is just the initial reunion. I hope you enjoy! ^.^

Black purred, a low, rumbling sound that vibrated right down to the bones. Keith watched her and Shiro share another few moments of silent exchange before Shiro stepped back, giving her a nod. In that moment, with his shoulders squared and back military-straight, he looked very much like his lion. They had the same broad shoulders and commanding air, the respect between them that of one warrior to another.

Keith watched from where he was tucked between Red's outstretched forelegs, nestled beneath her chin. She and Black were lying down rather than standing up, which had made repairs easier. Given the lions' sizes, they were situated in the center of the main hangar, facing the landing pads so that they could see who came and went. They left barely enough room for the other ships to land, but somehow the other pilots managed. Along the edges of the hangar, literally everyone with eyes was whispering and staring, a small crowd having gathered to gawk at the pair of living legends. And at the paladins who flew them, though Keith and Shiro had both changed out of their armor and into off-duty casual clothes from the base's storage.

Keith was slightly uncomfortable with all the attention, but it wasn't as if he could do much about it. At least they were mostly respectful and stayed a ways away.

Down their bond, Red filtered amusement wrapped up with protection and a comforting sense of warmth. Keith sighed, stretching out his legs and leaning against one massive paw. The staring might have been a bit unnerving, but he would manage.

Shiro walked over, chuckling quietly when he saw where Keith had ended up. "What time is it?" he asked, ducking his head to smile down at Keith.

"We still have an hour," Keith told him, checking the tablet that his aunt had given him earlier in the morning. Apparently, it was to keep him occupied and out of trouble. He felt as if he should've resented the implication that he would cause trouble if left to his own devices, but he knew himself well enough to admit that she sort of had a point.

The fact that she had picked that up based only on two conversations with him and knowledge of how he had acted when he was _five,_ though, was a bit startling. He hadn't realized that he was quite so predictable.

Shiro nodded toward the gathering crowd. "Want to wait somewhere else?"

Keith hesitated. On one hand, potential privacy. On the other…

"Nah," he replied. "I'm fine. They'll get bored of us eventually."

Shiro made a noise that could've been a laugh. He didn't seem like he believed that, which, fair enough. Keith didn't really believe himself either. "Mind if I join you, then?"

"Sure." Keith indicated a spot on the ground beside him. "Go ahead."

Shiro grinned, crouching to climb over Red's foreleg and under her chin. Settling beside Keith, he peered at the tablet. "Is that basically the internet?"

Keith swiped across what appeared to be an advertisement, albeit with a truly appalling layout and atrocious color scheme. "Yeah."

"Huh." Shiro watched him the tablet, openly curious. On a whim, Keith clicked what he thought was a link and was redirected to something that looked like YouTube, but more… green.

Keith tapped on a cheerful icon. "Wanna watch alien home videos for the next hour with me?"

Barking what was definitely a laugh, Shiro knocked his shoulder against Keith's. "Sure, why not."

They spent the next hour like that, side by side, working their way through videos of various people doing stupid things and funny clips of animals and mouth-watering cooking demonstrations. Basically, it was all the things that abounded on the internet back on Earth, but without any humans and often featuring misadventures in zero gravity. They gaped at aliens with five legs twirling through intricate dances, saw animated cartoons with exaggerated features and comical proportions, observed the first minute of what had to be the driest documentary in existence.

"It feels like home," Shiro commented, watching a vaguely feline animal jump onto an unlucky Galra bystander's head. The video's frame shook as whoever was filming laughed. "But, y'know. More aliens."

Keith gave him an amused look. "Shiro, they're _all_ aliens."

"Yeah, well." Shiro didn't take his eyes off the screen. The Galra had pulled the animal off and was scolding it with a copious amount of obviously insincere threats. "I think I needed the reminder that they're all just people too."

...Ah. Keith swallowed, not quite knowing what to say. At Shiro's request, he had stopped shifting into his human form around his friend, and now talked to Shiro with the same fanged teeth and yellow eyes as he did to everyone else. Shiro still flinched occasionally, but he appeared to be making a determined effort to get over it, which was more than a bit gratifying. Keith had no idea what he'd done in his past life to deserve a friend like Shiro. Saved a lot of baby animals, probably.

Above them, Red made a low sound that could've been agreement, pulsing humor. Out of the corner of his eye, Keith saw the still-watching crowd ripple with interest.

With the way he constantly checked the time, though, Keith grew progressively more distracted as the end of the hour drew near. He found himself watching the hangar's entrance more than the tablet, focus continuously sliding to the ships that came and went. One of them would hold his father, he knew. One of them would hold the man he vaguely remembered in bits and pieces, in the memories of a child worn thin. One of them, one of them, but he didn't know which one.

Shiro was kind enough not to say anything. He simply sat beside Keith and provided silent support, the two of them protected between Red's paws. It wasn't long before he was watching the incoming ships as well, as the tablet turned itself off after a few minutes of inactivity.

Keith was struck by an abrupt wave of self-doubt. What if his father wasn't coming? What if the message hadn't gone through? What if they'd been intercepted on the way? What if, what it, what if–

He didn't realize how still and shallow his breathing had become until Shiro's voice cut through the haze of his thoughts, sharp and commanding. " _Keith._ "

Keith snapped out of it. "What?"

Shiro placed a hand on his shoulder. In a calmer tone, he instructed, "Breathe."

Keith sucked in a lungful of air. His head cleared a fraction.

Shiro smiled. "Relax. Everything's going to be fine."

Keith pursed his lips but didn't answer. In fact, there was a myriad of ways that the entire situation could go wrong. His father's transport might never reach the base. His father might've been killed en route. They could be attacked at any moment. On and on, the list of possibilities never ended.

A finger tapped his head. Keith reflexively flinched back before realizing that it was Shiro, whose mouth was quirked up at the edges in amusement.

"You're overthinking things again," he said. "It's going to be fine."

"You say that," Keith grumbled, "but..." _It's been over ten years,_ he didn't say. Ten years of his father thinking that he was dead. Ten years of mourning, ten years of grief.

Ten years, while perhaps not as long for their species as it was for a human, was still not an insignificant amount of time.

Shiro sighed. "He's your father. Just– trust that everything will work out."

"Trust that everything will work out?" Keith snorted. "Sure, we'll see how that goes. You know what my luck is like."

With a roll of his eyes, Shiro bumped Keith's shoulder. "Don't be like that. Things could've gone a lot worse."

_I don't know,_ Keith wanted to say with a sarcastic twist.. _Our lions are still recovering, when we tried to hail the Castle earlier it failed, and my father might not ever even make it to this base. It could be worse, but it could be a lot better, too._

Keith knew that wouldn't go over well, though, and bit it back. Instead, he just grimaced. "You're such an optimist, Shiro."

"And you're such a pessimist." The other paladin stretched out his legs. His shirt was long-sleeved and loose enough to cover his prosthetic arm; if it weren't for the metal fingers that splayed out at Shiro's side, Keith would never have been able to tell that one of Shiro's arms was mechanical. "Calm down for a minute, eh?"

Keith did not dignify that with a reply.

On the far end of the hangar, a battered fighter came to rest on the landing pad, kicking up a cloud of dust. It was tiny and visibly scratched, a long streak of faded red paint across its side behind dark lettering that named it the _Altenai_. The ship was overall unremarkable, but distinctly of Galra make, and it was that which caught Keith's eye.

Keith watched it like he had all the others, not daring to blink as the ship's transparent cockpit faded away and two figures climbed out. One of them was of a species he didn't recognize, skin a burnt orange under a flight suit, but the other–

_Tall, definitely Galra. Dressed like an Empire officer, dark armor with red lieutenant's markings. Everyone else is giving them weird looks for it. Must've been undercover. Maybe–?_

He could see the moment when they turned towards the lions and stopped dead, craning their necks to look up at Red and Black. A little ways away, Keith watched as Aunt Vasiva broke away from the group of pilots she'd been talking with and headed towards the new arrivals.

Keith's breath hitched. There had been other Galra who had landed before, of course, but Aunt Vasiva had ignored them all and thus so had Keith, even though each glimpse of purple skin had made his heart skip a beat and his air catch in his throat. If Aunt Vasiva had actually _approached_ this one, then that man was almost certainly Thace. Almost certainly his father.

Keith felt as if he should move, should get up and walk over and say something, but– he couldn't. He was rooted to his spot, hiding beneath his lion, hiding because he was too much of a _coward_ to go out.

Red pulsed reassurance in the back of his mind, but he barely registered the sensation, frozen in place. Keith stared as Aunt Vasiva said something that he couldn't hear, gesturing to the lions. Red's tail curled up against her side, the tip of it visible out of the corner of Keith's eye.

Aunt Vasiva pointed directly at Keith, gestured for another moment, and then began walking towards him. The other alien went in the opposite direction, towards the crowd. Thace was a half-step behind his aunt, and it was a bit difficult to tell with the armor, but Keith thought that his father seemed… eager? The man was walking rather quickly, so much so that he overtook Aunt Vasiva and left her hurrying to keep up.

"You know," Shiro's voice jarred Keith back to awareness, having been so focused on his father that he'd almost had tunnel vision, "we should probably meet them."

Before Keith could protest, Shiro moved to do just that, hauling himself to his feet and climbing out from beneath Red. In the same moment, Red lifted up her head and exposed Keith to full view.

"Ugh, thanks," Keith muttered as Shiro laughed. He got the hint, though, and stood, attempting to pull on a mask of confidence he didn't feel as he strode out from between Red's paws. That close, Keith could see his father's face, see the widened yellow eyes and the sheathed blade at his hip, see the mixture of _awe-fear-hope_ all twisted up in one that flashed across his expression.

By some silent, mutual agreement, Keith and his father stopped a couple feet away from each other. Keith found himself almost trembling as he looked up at his father, numb all over as all his pre-prepared plans on what to say evaporated right out of his head.

Thace broke the tension first. "Keithek? Is it really you?" He reached out, hand hovering beside Keith's cheek. His voice was rough, hoarse, tremulous. It was all hope and fear and cautious joy, and it made Keith realize that his father was just as nervous as he was. That was a strangely comforting thought.

"Yeah," Keith said, and hated how his voice almost broke. "It's me."

His father made a noise that was half sob, half laugh, and before Keith knew it he was being pressed against Thace's armor in a crushing hug.

"Oh, my son," his father murmured in his ear, voice thick. He sounded as if he was on the verge of tears. "Oh, Keithek. You're _alive._ You've come _back_."

"...Hi, Dad," Keith choked out, almost crying himself. "I'm back."

He closed his eyes, ignored the discomfort of the armor's hard edges, and hugged his father in return.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to come find me on [Tumblr](http://darkscaleswriter.tumblr.com/) for fandom stuff and [Wordpress](https://darkscales.wordpress.com/) for original fiction!


	4. Conversations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...Ahaha it's been months I'm so sorry  >.< in my defense, real life tried very hard to end me. It did not succeed, but it didn't exactly leave tons of time for writing, either. At least the next chapter is already partially written, though?
> 
> Anyway, thanks to everyone who read and left kudos or comments! You're all awesome! :D

"You've grown up." Thace hadn't taken his eyes off of Keith since Aunt Vasiva had managed to get them somewhere more private, an unused conference room in a far corner of the base. He and Keith sat across from each other in rigid chairs that squeaked with every movement, pushed away from the table so that there was nothing between them. They were close enough for their knees to brush and for Keith to see every detail of his father's face.

Keith shrugged. "I guess." _It's been over ten years,_ was on the tip of his tongue, but he didn't want to bring that up. He was acutely aware of the distance that stretched between them, of the years that had separated him and his father.

 _You've grown up without me,_ Thace didn't say, but Keith heard the unspoken words loud and clear.

"You look so much like your mother." His father visibly swallowed. "Is she–?"

Keith winced. "No. She– she died. Years ago, now." His memories cast back to the accident, to the jolting terror as a truck that came out of _nowhere_ crashed into them, metal screeching and twisting and screaming and–

 _I'm sorry,_ a doctor had told him. _Your mother didn't make it._

"I'm sorry," Keith echoed, shaking the past away. "I– she missed you. We both did."

Thace slumped. "I had hoped," he murmured, "but when I saw you without her… well, I suppose I should've known then. She would never have let you end up here without her to watch you." His gaze turned distant with old grief. "She was too fierce for that."

 _Fierce._ Keith had never thought of her that way before. Gracea had been his mother. She had nurtured him, cared for him, taught him how to survive, but he had never thought of her as fierce. Strong, yes. Resilient, yes. Fierce?

Keith thought of the way she had held her head up high wherever she went. He thought of how she had stared challenge at judgemental parents and the teachers who'd talked about his discipline issues, how she had never once backed down from anyone who'd dared to question how she raised Keith. He thought of how she had been stranded on an unfamiliar planet among an unfamiliar people with a child to look after, how she had managed to not only survive but perhaps even begin to _thrive._

Keith had never thought of his mother as fierce before, but his father was right. She really had been fierce.

"If you don't mind me asking," Thace questioned, soft and cautious, "how did it– how did she die?"

"...It was a car accident," Keith told him. Thace looked confused. It took Keith a moment to realize that Thace probably didn't know what a car was, so he hastened to explain. "Cars are, uh, motorized vehicles that are the main transport system on Earth."

Thace nodded in understanding. "I see. It was a traffic accident?"

"Yeah." Keith hated how _benign_ that sounded. A traffic accident. It was so simple. Something so easily avoided. It didn't seem like a death that fit the woman his mother had been at all.

It seemed that his father agreed. "A traffic accident," Thace sighed. "You know, we'd always thought that we would die in battle. That we would die for the resistance, for the cause." He sighed again. "I guess the universe had other plans."

"She never stopped looking to the stars," Keith told him. "I mean– she told me that we would probably be on Earth forever, since we were so far out and Earth didn't have the technology for us to get back, but… she never stopped hoping, I think." His mouth was dry as sand, as dust, but he kept talking. "We lived in the desert, sometimes. She built a house away from other people, just for us. Miles from the city. At night, we'd go outside and look up at the sky, and she'd tell me stories. Random stuff. Voltron, Altea, missions she'd flown, anything to pass the time."

They'd spent hours out beneath the sprawling desert sky, just the two of them. They hadn't known what Earth called her constellations, so they'd made up their own. Keith barely remembered what fabricated stories they had come up with, only the feeling of warmth and happiness that he associated with them. He kept those memories close to heart, treasuring them for the precious moments of peace that they had contained.

"That sounds like her." Thace's tone shifted to nostalgia, weathered grief buried deep. Keith suspected that because he had already mourned Gracea years before, it was easier to accept the concrete proof of her death. Old wounds reopened, but they could close again, too.

Keith nodded, and a silence fell. Neither of them spoke, taking a few quiet moments to remember the woman that they had each loved in different ways.

Keith's father shifted in his seat. "After she died," he asked, "Keithek, what– what happened to you? Who raised you after that?"

Keith leaned back. He wasn't fond of talking about his time in the foster system, but he'd come out of it relatively lucky. Others had been… less so. "Foster families, mostly." He affected a casual shrug. "They couldn't find any other living relatives, and I was never adopted. I did get emancipated once I could, though, so I counted as a legal adult and basically took care of myself."

Thace frowned. He didn't seem all that pleased. "Foster care, and then you lived on your own. Was there nobody else who helped you?"

Keith considered the question. "Shiro and his family were nice. They kinda unofficially adopted me?"

His father blinked. "Who is Shiro?"

"...Uh." Keith abruptly remembered that his father had never actually learned the other paladins' names. "You kinda met him. Saw him. Um. He's the Black Paladin of Voltron, actually. You might know him as the Champion?"

"The Champion? Zarkon's gladiator?" Thace was startled. "I thought he looked familiar, but… well. He's the new Black Paladin?"

Keith tilted his head a bit, confused. "Yeah, what's wrong with that?"

His father shook his head. "Nothing, really. It's just that I saw him fight a few times; he was infamous for being incredibly strong and bloodthirsty enough that he would attack even one of his own." A pause. "You say that he's the one who helped you?"

"He and his family," Keith confirmed. "You're wrong about the bloodlust and stuff, though. He's really not that bad. There's more to it than what you saw."

Thace did not look reassured. "Can you explain, then?"

Keith took a breath, feeling something in him loosen. It was easier to talk about other people than himself. Easier still to talk about Shiro, who was all but his brother. "He's always been strong," Keith began. "I met him because he was my neighbor when I was at my last foster home. He's a few years older than me, so we didn't really overlap at school or anything, but he was nice. He joined Earth's military space program and became one of the best pilots on the planet."

"So he was a soldier," Thace concluded.

"Sort of. A pilot," Keith corrected. "He never flew combat missions, only simulated them. But he was good. He helped me get into the same academy that he went to. He helped me get emancipated, move into my apartment… his parents even dropped off food sometimes. They were amazing." Images of home-cooked meals that he hadn't experienced in what felt like forever floated behind his eyes, phantom scents and snatches of sound. "But then, uh… there was the Kerberos mission."

"Kerberos?"

"It was an ice planet, the farthest away from Earth that any human would have gone before," Keith explained. "It was an honor. Shiro was so excited. There were two other people on the mission– Sam and Matt Holt, the father and older brother of my other teammate and the Green Paladin, Pidge. All three were captured by the Galra while taking samples on the planet's surface."

Thace frowned. "I remember hearing about that, actually. There was some chatter among the officers about a new species that had been picked up on the fringes of unsettled space. I didn't realize that they were… what were they called, again? Humans?"

"Humans," Keith affirmed. "All three of them got captured. I think Sam ended up going to a mining camp, but Matt and Shiro were sent to the arena. Shiro told me about this later, but Matt was supposed to fight first. Shiro realized that he would never survive, since he was a scientist with minimal combat training and not a soldier, so Shiro stole a sword from a guard and pretended to attack Matt. Shiro injured him enough that he'd be sent to the mining camp with his father and never saw either of them again. But Shiro ended up going into the arena in Matt's place, and…" Keith shrugged. "You know how that went."

"Yes, I remember very well." His father leaned back. "He sounds much kinder than the rumors would suggest."

Keith ducked his head. "Honestly, Shiro is a _dork,_ " he confided, and was rewarded by a surprised laugh from his father. "I mean, he makes dumb jokes, and he tries to act like he knows what he's doing but really he's making most of it up as he goes. I swear I saw him blend, like, five different types of energy drinks with half a cup of sugar and a mug of coffee all at once and then _drink it_ , so. He's good at fighting, but that's not even close to all there is to him." Keith's mouth quirked up in an involuntary grin. "It's like he tries to be everyone's older brother. He's kinda hilarious."

His father's eyes crinkled up at the edges in amusement. "Well, that's good. I get the feeling that you're too serious for your own good sometimes."

Keith rolled his eyes. "Yeah, he says that too. I'm not serious _all_ the time, though. Just, whenever I need to be."

 _Which is kind of always,_ he privately admitted to himself. But he wasn't about to say that out loud.

"Hm." Thace gave him a small smile. "I'll have to meet Shiro properly, then. It sounds as if I should be thanking him."

"Yeah, I owe him a lot." Keith thought back to that cold winter's morning, frigid in life but warm in his memories. "He's like a brother to me."

Thace made a sound of understanding. "If you don't mind me asking–" he glanced at the bayard on Keith's hip, a piece of his armor that he hadn't been willing to leave behind, "–how did you– and Shiro, I suppose –become pilots of the Voltron Lions? I know the Red Lion was stolen from a Galra flagship, but you said earlier that you were trapped on Earth?"

"Ah. That." Keith prudently decided to skip the entire thing with the Garrison, most notably the bit where he'd dropped out and then lived off in the desert alone for a year. "To make a long story short, the Blue Lion was on Earth. For a while, I'd been investigating the caves that she was hidden in, but it wasn't until I ended up bringing Lance, Hunk, and Pidge– the Blue, Yellow, and Green Paladins –into the caves that she awoke. Lance was chosen, and Blue flew us to the Castle." Keith shrugged. "We just… kind of went from there."

Thace blinked. "The Blue Lion had been hidden on Earth for all that time?"

"Apparently." Keith gave a short laugh, remembering that first wild flight. "It was a rough ride. Lance was piloting, but all the controls were labeled in Altean and none of us knew how to fly a Voltron Lion. Heck, I barely even remembered what Voltron _was._ We were lucky we didn't crash into an asteroid or something."

Thace looked as if he was trying very hard not to cringe. "Not an auspicious beginning, I take it."

Keith couldn't hold back a snort. "No, no, definitely not. It took some time before we were anything close to a cohesive team." He grinned at the memory of Allura's hell-training, the food fight, the slow but sure bonding. "Now, though, they're like a second family."

And he _missed_ them, Keith realized. It hadn't been all that long but already he was missing them, missing Pidge's crazy inventions and Lance's jokes and Hunk's cooking and just the general _acceptance_ that they had radiated and–

"Oh," Thace sighed, drawing him in for a hug. "I know, Keithek. I know. They're become your clan, aren't they."

Keith nodded into his father's shoulder, slightly overwhelmed by the realization and vaguely surprised at how fast his father had understood. "Sorry," he mumbled, voice thick. "You're here, and Shiro's here, and Aunt Vasiva's here and I'm _happy,_ but at the same time it's just–" He swallowed, though it didn't really help. "Sorry."

"Don't apologize," Thace soothed, solid and strong and steady. "It's understandable. They might not be blood, but you chose them." He ran a clawed hand through Keith's hair, gently smoothing out clumps and tangles. "Would it help to talk? I'd like to hear about them, if you don't mind."

"...Okay." Keith drew back a bit, lips turning up into an involuntary smile at the thought of his team. With a shaking breath, he began, "I'd seen them around before, but I didn't _really_ meet them until the night that Shiro crash-landed back on Earth…"

* * *

Despite drawing himself up to his full height, Shiro was still dwarfed by Thace, who towered over him by a good six inches at the least. Shiro had to physically look up to talk to him, which, quite frankly, Keith found hilarious.

Finally, Shiro was the short one for once.

"It's nice to meet you," Shiro greeted with a friendly, albeit slightly reserved, smile. "I'm Shiro, the Black Paladin of Voltron."

Thace nodded, the general form of greeting when cultural practices weren't known. "I am Thace, Keith's father. He's told me a lot about you."

Shiro laughed. "Good things, I hope."

"Only the best," Thace assured him, amusement coloring his tone. "I hear I have you to thank for looking after my son for many years."

Shiro merely shrugged. "I didn't do much, honestly. Keith's a good kid, and he was pretty much independent when I met him. I just helped a little."

"From what Keith's been saying, you did a lot more than that. Something about narrowly avoiding an arrest was mentioned?" Thace's posture was relaxed, his armor discarded so that he no longer seemed quite so intimidating. He kept a respectful distance and didn't stare at Shiro's arm, which Keith had warned him against. Few things made Shiro more self-conscious than when people gaped at his prosthetic like he was an animal at the zoo.

At the word 'arrest,' though, Keith groaned. "I already said that wasn't my fault; it was a _legitimate_ mistake!"

Shiro coughed to unsuccessfully hide his laugh. "Sure it was, Keith. Sure."

Thace smirked. It was a rather terrifying look on him. "You know, Keithek wouldn't tell me the whole story. Would you mind sharing details?"

"Yes, please," Shiro agreed, the tense line of his shoulders easing a fraction. "Oh, and did Keith mention what happened when I first introduced him to wasabi? That story's definitely a classic with my parents." He flashed a genuine smile, and Keith saw that Shiro was allowing himself to relax for real.

Still, of all the things to bring up… Keith groaned. "Holy _quiznak,_ Shiro, seriously?"

"Yes, seriously," Shiro affirmed, leaning forward to pat his shoulder with a wicked grin. "I have years of embarrassing stories and no qualms with using them."

"Guardians above, just kill me now," Keith groaned again, and, as Shiro and his father settled in to swap Keith's childhood stories, he realized that he had created a monster.

At least they were getting along, though. That was something.

Keith couldn't help but smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to come find me on [Tumblr](http://darkscaleswriter.tumblr.com/) for fandom stuff and [Wordpress](https://darkscales.wordpress.com/) for original fiction!


	5. Teammates

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...Uhhh it's been over six months and I totally did not realize, haha. In my defense, real life is hard and I've definitely lost steam for this story because to be honest I never really had a plan for it in the first place. So, next chapter will probably be the last one, and more of an epilogue. On the plus side, here's a longer chapter than usual after the long wait!

Keith and Shiro were sparring in one of the training rooms when their lions nudged them with the mental equivalent of sitting up straight and perking up their ears, right before the paladins' communicators beeped in unison. Both of them disengaged, Keith's bayard receding to its dormant state and Shiro's arm powering down.

Aunt Vasiva's voice came in over the tiny speaker. " _Keith, Shiro, you're needed in the command center immediately. Whatever else you're doing, this takes precedence._ "

"Got it," Keith replied, already falling into step beside Shiro as they headed for the doors. "We're on our way."

They hurried for the command center, only a few twisting hallways down. The guards recognized them on sight and allowed Keith and Shiro to enter the large room. Clustered on one wall were screens displaying video feeds from all over the base, while in the center of the room was a large conference table. Standing around the table were the base's commander (a Luxian named Shannil), Aunt Vasiva, the head of security, and several other people that Keith didn't recognize.

Keith and Shiro slipped in beside Aunt Vasiva. "What's the situation?"

Shannil looked up, expression one of awe and hope and wonder all at once. "The Castle of Lions is here."

Keith and Shiro both froze, eyes wide. "What?"

She pulled up a holographic screen, audio only. "They want to talk to you." She spun the hologram so that it faced them, all eyes turning to them with expectant expressions.

Shiro took a breath, reaching out to press the center of the screen. The moment he did so, Allura's voice broke in over the speakers, and Keith couldn't help the way something in him relaxed at the sound of it.

" _Shiro? Keith? Are you there?_ " Allura asked, hope suffusing every word. " _The rest of us are safe, we're in the Castle and no real worse for wear._ "

"Allura." Shiro's tone was all relief as he grinned at the screen, even though she couldn't see him. "Keith and I are fine, the rebels saved us. You're all okay?"

On Allura's end, footsteps approached. " _Peachy keen!_ " Coran chirped as Allura laughed. In a slightly lower tone, presumably addressing one of the other paladins, Keith and Shiro heard a muffled, " _I did say that right, didn't I? Oh, your Earth sayings are so strange…_ "

" _You're fine, man. C'mon, let us talk!_ " That was Lance, boisterous and unmistakable. His volume increased, likely from proximity to the speaker. " _Keith, Shiro! You guys made it okay? Man, Hunk and I legit landed on a planet of_ mermaids,  _it was amazing! You guys kinda look like you ended up on a bunch of rocks and not much else, though. Ouch. You and your lions okay?_ " He played at being upbeat, but there was a undercurrent of worry hiding underneath.

Keith couldn't help it. He chuckled, Red purring in the back of his mind. "Didn't you hear Shiro? We're fine. It was a rough landing, but we made it out fine."

" _Hey, glad to hear it!_ " Hunk had nudged his way into the conversation, the deepest voice of all of them. " _Rebels, huh? You guys lucked out. Lance and I met mermaids, yeah, but he didn't mention that they were being mind controlled by a weird sea serpent creature that tried to_ eat  _us. That was pretty nuts._ "

Shiro winced. "Ah. Sounds like an adventure."

Hunk's tone turned distinctly wry. " _That's one word for it._ "

" _Hey, what about me?_ " Pidge cut in, and Keith had been wondering about her silence. " _I landed in a literal_ trash heap,  _guys. Green and I had to rig a satellite dish out of junk so Allura could track us down!_ "

Keith and Shiro let out twin snorts of amusement. Somehow, they weren't all that surprised. "At least you had the parts to build what you needed, though," Shiro pointed out.

" _Yeah, I guess._ " There was the sound of a brief scuffle before Pidge continued, slightly breathless, " _So, how'd you guys end up running into a bunch of rebels?_ "

A pause. Shiro looked at Keith, who looked at Aunt Vasiva, who turned to the base commander, who gave them a nod of approval.

"The lions aren't very subtle," Keith replied, dry. "We basically landed in their backyard. Shiro had been knocked out by the crash, so I went to go check on him, but before we could go anywhere, a squadron of the rebels showed up to investigate. Things kind of just went from there."

"You're leaving out the part where you attacked my squad, but close enough," Aunt Vasiva muttered, though not without some humor.

"Hey, I said I was sorry!"

Over the communications line, there was a burst of delighted laughter.

" _Only you,_ " Allura sighed. " _Well, you'll have to tell us more about it when we get there, since we've been cleared for landing._ "

Shiro grinned. "Of course. When will you arrive?"

There was a pause. " _In about ten of your Earth minutes, I believe._ "

"We'll be waiting," Shiro said, and his smile was bright enough to light up a sun.

* * *

It wasn't until they were almost at the landing pad that Keith worked up the courage to ask, "Should I– should I transform back?"

Shiro's steps faltered. He glanced at Keith. "Shit, I didn't even think of that." He slowed. "Do you want to?"

"...I don't know." Keith's hands curled, claws prickling against his palms. "I mean. Everyone here knows already."

"But the team doesn't." Shiro pursed his lips. "If you don't want to tell them right away, I understand. I'm sure nobody else will mention it if we ask them not to."

Keith shook his head. "No, that would be a lot of trouble. I don't want to make everyone keep my secret just because I'm  _scared._ " He spat the word like it was poison, bitter and unwanted.

Shiro stopped, so abruptly that Keith almost ran into him. "Keith. There's no shame in being afraid of this."

"Isn't there?" They had reached the edge of the landing pad by that point, though the ceiling wasn't yet open to the skies above. "I've been lying to all of them since the moment we met. I  _knew_  that Allura and Coran's people were alive, and somehow I don't think they'll be happy to find out that I never told them because I'm also half  _Galra._ "

"They're not going to think that." Shiro's tone was firm, but Keith was not reassured.

"How can you know that?" Keith challenged. "They hate Galra, Shiro! When they find out I lied–"

" _Keith._ " Shiro's hands were on his shoulders, gaze squarely meeting Keith's. "Calm down. It's going to be fine. You don't have to tell them."

"But they deserve to know," Keith said.

Shiro's grip tightened. "It isn't their choice to make. It's yours. You can tell them if you're comfortable, but if not, then don't. We can figure it out together."

Keith sucked in a sharp breath. " _How?_  Shiro, I don't– I don't see any way of doing this that doesn't end with them all hating me. If I don't tell them, they're be even more upset when I do. If I do tell them, they'll hate me for lying. The Empire destroyed Altea, and for Allura and Coran, that was less than a year ago! For everyone else, the Empire– the  _Galra_ –are the whole reason they're all stuck here, away from their families."

Keith thought of Lance, whose mind had been all family left behind, all that time ago in the training room. He thought of Hunk, who reminisced with a sad smile on his face and always talked about how amazing his parents were. He thought of Pidge, who had infiltrated the Garrison to find her father and brother and had never given up, had  _refused_  to ever stop searching. He thought of the Shirogane parents, the sound of Shiro's mother's voice when she'd called him to break the news of Shiro's disappearance, the way it had cracked them down invisible fault lines and broken into jagged pieces.

All because of the Empire. All because of the  _Galra_.

" _Keith._  Look at me." Shiro's hands were firm weights on his shoulders, grounding in their presence. "You didn't do it. You're not with Zarkon. Remember, the only reason we're here in this base– the only reason I even know this rebellion  _exists_  –is because of you." Shiro took a breath. "You told me you're half Altean, too. Allura and Coran, their people  _survived._  Somehow, I think they're going to care a lot more about that than the fact that you're half Galra."

Above them, the roof was beginning to retract. Pale light filtered in through clouds of dust. Keith's nostrils flared, the scent of grit and dry stone mixing with the artificial air of the base.

The Castle of Lions was a star-bright light in the sky, growing larger with each passing tick.

"...I'll tell them." Keith looked at his faintly clawed hands, ran his tongue over small but sharp fangs. "I mean. They're going to find out eventually. I may as well get it over with, right?"

"If you want." Shiro's hands dropped back to his sides, but he was smiling. In the background, the roar of engines built as the Castle slowed for landing. "I'm proud of you, Keith."

Keith's confused reply was all but lost under the sound of the Castle's engines, hair whipping into his face when the ship blotted out the light. "But, I haven't done anything to be proud of."

At that, Shiro laughed, and only turned to meet their team.

One hand up to shadow her eyes, Aunt Vasiva stepped up beside Keith. Next to her was Shannil, and both of their expressions were wide and open with wonder.

"This," Aunt Vasiva said, barely audible over the ship's noise, "is like a childhood dream come true."

There was a hiss of hydraulics. Just in front of the rebels, a ramp dropped down. in the back of Keith's mind, Red's excitement sparked; when Keith looked over, her eyes were gleaming yellow as she sat up straight next to Black.

Allura was the first one down, white armor gleaming. Keith saw the moment she set eyes on Shiro, and for a moment she softened. Then she saw Keith, and–

Keith reflexively jerked back when all of a sudden Allura was right in front of him, eyes wide. "Keith?" she asked, "what– is that you?"

"Uh," he said eloquently, gaze darting to where Lance, Pidge, and Hunk were blinking at him with gobsmacked expressions from the ramp, "turns out I'm not actually human?"

Allura reached out, fingers hovering just before his markings. "Al– Altean?"

"Half," Keith admitted. "And– half Galra, too."

Allura recoiled as if burned, and Keith flinched even as his heart plummeted. He'd expected something like this, but… it still hurt.

"You're half Galra?" Allura whispered, looking stricken. "How?"

Aunt Vasiva stepped forward, clearing her throat. "There is more to the story of Keithek's parents than you might assume," she said, a little pointedly, but smiled when Allura's head whipped around to stare at her with utter shock. "Given that I was there for most of it, and, assuming, Keithek doesn't mind… well. I think I can answer many of your questions." Her eyes flicked to the doors. "If you'll follow us, Princess?"

Allura turned to her, composure smoothing ruffled feathers as she almost visibly reined herself in. "Ah, of course. And you are…?"

"Vasiva, head pilot of his base. And–" her teeth flashed with her grin, "–pure-blooded Altean."

After that, Allura barely seemed to process it when Shannil introduced herself, only sparing the Luxian a polite nod. Allura was still watching Aunt Vasiva, and fell into step beside her as the commander turned to lead them to a conference room.

The other paladins caught up to Keith and Shiro, all in armor with helmets tucked under their arms. "Keith, what the  _quiznak?_ " Lance hissed under his breath, free arm flailing. "You're an  _alien?!_  Dude, why didn't you tell us?"

Keith looked away. "You didn't hear? I'm half Galra. Somehow, I didn't think that was going to go down well."

"Okay, fair enough. But what were you doing on Earth, then?" Lance pressed, knocking his shoulder against Keith's. "Seriously, how'd that happen? Didn't you grow up on Earth?"

"I did," Keith sighed, watching the way Allura's head was bent toward his aunt's as they talked. "It's a long story."

Pidge snorted. "Are you telling me that I spent  _years_  looking for proof of alien life and you were right there in driving distance the whole time?  _Dude._ "

Keith threw up his hands. "What was I supposed to do? Walk up to the Garrison and give myself up for study and scientific experimentation? How about  _no,_  thanks."

Pidge's mouth opened, then closed again. "Well, why were you on Earth to begin with?"

"...It wasn't by choice." Keith's hands flexed. "Sorry, but– look, I'll probably end up telling everyone in a few minutes anyway, so if you don't mind, could you just– could you just wait?" He took a breath, dim memories of battle and flame resurfacing. "I'd rather only say it once."

Pidge looked as if she wanted to protest, but Hunk pulled her back. Keith gave him a grateful nod, acutely aware of the stares the group was attracting in the halls. On one hand, he was glad to have them back, relieved to see them safe, but on the other…

He was an alien, one who had been lying to them the entire time they'd known him. He didn't think they'd quite processed that yet.

Thankfully, it wasn't long before they were all sequestered in the largest conference room on base, unofficially known as the war room. Though it was the only one large enough to fit all of both Team Voltron and assorted rebel leaders, it was still a bit of a squeeze to get everyone situated comfortably. Just outside, Keith noticed Thace standing discreetly in the corridor, half-obscured by shadows. He nodded at Keith, oddly encouraging, and Keith was hit by the sudden urge to hide behind him just so everyone would stop  _staring._

That wasn't an option, though, and Keith reminded himself that he was done with hiding.

Once everyone was seated at a large oval table, Shannil opened with introductions. Keith and Shiro waited a little awkwardly as names and ranks were exchanged, stuck in the middle as they were. After, though, things started getting a bit more interesting.

"We would like to propose an alliance," Shannil said. "We're currently the largest and most influential rebel organization in the known universe, and gaining the legendary Voltron as an ally would be an incredible help to our fight against the Empire. We can provide resources, manpower, supply depots, whatever you need. Besides which–" a flicker-flare smile, eyes sliding to Keith, "–several of us have a… well, let's call it a rather personal stake in ensuring Voltron's wellbeing."

Aunt Vasiva took the offered opening, sliding into the discussion with a smile. "Considering I've known your Red Paladin since he was a cub, I'd say that yes, I am very invested in all this."

At Keith's side, Lance elbowed him and hissed, "Who is that?"

"My aunt," Keith muttered under his breath. "More importantly, head pilot. Now, shut up and  _listen._ "

Lance subsided with minimal grumbling, but to Keith's relief, he actually did appear to pay more attention from there on out.

Keith tuned back into the discussion just in time to hear Allura ask Aunt Vasiva, "So, how is it that you know Keith?"

Aunt Vasiva laughed. "Well, it's a long story. The abbreviated version is this: I've known Keithek– sorry, Keith –since before he was even born. I thought he was dead for a long time, but now that he's back, I don't plan on letting him disappear again."

Coran blinked. "'Keithek'? That's… a  _very_  traditional Galran name, isn't it?"

"It was," Keith corrected, speaking for the first time. Instantly, every eye was focused on him, and he had to swallow hard before continuing. "Not so much now, though. My father named me; I think it's Old Galran."

"Your father." Allura was addressing him directly, now. "That was your Galran parent?"

Briefly, Keith debated the merits of informing them that Thace was still very much alive. But… no, smaller steps would be better. He had to get them used to the idea of him being half-Galran first, easier with his clearly Altean-descended appearance to help. Thace, however, was undoubtedly full Galra, and he appeared every inch the battle-worn soldier he was.

On the other hand, though… they would have to get used to working with Galra eventually, considering that there were a decent number within the rebellion. And wasn't it better to start with one they knew was connected to a paladin?

"Yes," Keith said at last. "He thought I was dead as well, and didn't know otherwise until he returned from a long-term infiltration mission not long ago. He's a good man."

Allura made a noncommittal sound. "I see."

Keith wasn't sure she really did, but he didn't want to push the issue.

Coran leaned forward. "Keith, Shiro," he said, "I must say, we're glad to see you both unhurt. How, though, did you end up, well–" he waved a hand to encompass the room, "–here? And, Keith, why did you not mention this rebellion before?"

Keith's mouth had gone dry. "I didn't mention the rebellion because I forgot it existed," he said. "I was– for a long time, my memories weren't… right. They were broken, sort of, and I didn't get them back until recently. I didn't–" He broke off, a little frustrated with his own lack of articulation.

Aunt Vasiva came to his rescue. "Let's start from the beginning," she said. "When Keith was very young, there was a raid on the base he was in, forcing us to evacuate in a hurry. In the chaos, Keith and his mother went missing. We never managed to find them, especially not once the Empire took over the sector." Her face was grim, but she kept on. "What from I understand, Keith and his mother crash-landed on Earth, but due to lacking technology, they were stranded. Gracea– Keith's mother –opted to disguise them both as humans, and learned to live among them. Then–"

She faltered. There was grief in her eyes, a tightness to her jaw, and Keith's mouth opened seemingly on its own accord.

"Mom died," he said, and the words rang hollow in the abrupt hush of the room. "There was– it was a car crash; I think a drunk driver. I survived. She didn't. But the trauma– I don't know how it works, not really, but I think it was a form of amnesia? Anyway, I couldn't– I didn't even remember my own  _name,_  much less anything else. I mean, I knew I hadn't always been Keith, and I knew I wasn't human, but…" he shrugged, tense. "That was it. I ended up in the system, bounced around foster homes until I joined the Garrison, and even that didn't last long.

"Things didn't really start coming back until after we found Blue and the Castle of Lions." Keith looked at Allura and Coran, hoping that this would help them understand. "Being half Galra, though… I didn't know how you all would take it. And I had no idea how to contact the rebellion or if they were even still  _alive._  It was just dumb luck that Shiro and I ended up here after the wormhole."

"Well," Aunt Vasiva said, "sometimes, the universe can be a strange yet wonderful place." Her lips twitched, an odd twist of nostalgia as she glanced at Keith. His mother had used to say that, he remembered. Fairly often, too, if Aunt Vasiva's tone of well-worn fondness was anything to go by.

"I see," Allura said, and then, "I am sorry for your loss."

The thing was, she actually seemed sincere. There was sorrow in the downturn of her lips, cracks in the facade she put on as the Princess of Altea. Keith didn't know what to say, so he only nodded.

From there, Shannil took charge and steered the conversation back to its original topic. Keith was relieved– that had been more than enough emotions for one day, and he was glad to sit back and let Allura and Coran negotiate politics over his head. Things progressed quickly, remarkably so concerning politics, but it helped that both sides were eager to share as much as possible. It was a win for both, and in the end, everyone walked away happy.

Or, well. Mostly, at any rate.

That night, Keith and Shiro rejoined the rest of their team on the Castle, and Keith spent hours fielding questions about his past. The other paladins, who hadn't wanted to bog down the negotiations with the base leaders any more than necessary, took the opportunity to ask about everything that had apparently been on their minds.

"Wait," Lance said, sprawled out on the couch in their favored common room, "if you already knew how to fly ships  _before_  even getting to the Garrison–"

"I don't know if it really counts as  _remembering,_ " Keith said. "It was more like a feeling, sort of. I remembered flying, I remembered learning how to fly, so yeah it was easier to pick it back up. But the controls were also different, so I had to get used to that, and it was a simulator besides, so." He shrugged.

Lance groaned, collapsing against Hunk's side. " _Ugh,_  but still, you had years more experience! No wonder you were so good! Man, now I gotta work even harder to catch up."

Keith blinked at him. "What are you talking about? You're a great pilot."

Lance's head shot up so fast that Keith winced as he imagined the whiplash. "Wait, you mean that?"

"...Yeah?" Keith was better, but it wasn't as if anybody on the team was  _bad._  Even Hunk was a decent hand at the controls by now, after all the battles they'd fought and the stunts they'd pulled.

Lance whooped and punched the air. Keith looked at Shiro for help, who was utterly useless because all he did was snicker behind his hand.

After that, things stopped feeling so much like an interrogation and more like they were just chatting, Keith talking about himself and his family more than he could ever remember doing for such a length of time before. It was… actually, it was kind of nice. Freeing, almost, to say aloud all the things he'd spent so long keeping inside his head.

Keith had to admit, there was something relieving about being back in the Castle, back in the familiar halls he'd gotten used to living in. His father was still in the barracks, but they'd exchanged comm frequencies and Keith had promised to spend more time with him after he sorted things out with his team. They still had a lot to catch up on, after all.

But, for now? Keith had his team back, had his  _clan_  back, and even if things between them might be rocky for a bit… well, they'd work it out.

(It was good to be home.)


End file.
